Transmission tower

[Pasaa]

Hello. I am new to any kind of forum. I have a couple of questions: 1. I have a spare 4-speed with the screw-on collar on the shift tower. It has the emergency brake mounting bosses on the left side. What's it from?
2. This is the important one. The collar on my AA is the press-on type with pins. It is very worn. In addition, unless I am extremely careful, I can end up in two gears at once. Are there any sources for replacement parts for these transmissions? Are there any drawings available from which I could measure the wear and possibly refurb?
Thanks

[Warren S]

This was an easy fix for mine with the same issues... I drilled out the hole in the shifter enough to make it round.. Then I made a new pin that was an exact fit and cut the slot in the pin to hold the cap in place.. You want to make sure the ball is round (or close to round) on the shifter.. also make sure that the shafts move freely and the detents snap into place as they should. If the slot in the forks are worn to bad, they can be welded lighly to build them up and machined or filed to bring them back to normal.. None of this is beyond a basic lathe or a drill press and a file and some time... Warren.. Dont check this site that often so contact me at wasuker@comcast.net and I can try to explain it in greater detail...

[rollingsculpture]

i recall brattons sells replacement parts for the aa trans take a look at their site

[Pasaa]

Thank you for the good information. Do you know if there are any drawings available to reference in cases where I need to add material (i.e., weld)?

Although it isn't all that important, I am curious; do you have any idea why the spare transmission top has the emergency brake on the left side. The chassis that it came from is regular AA until right by the cowl, then it's not anything I have seen before. I can get pix of it if you like. It has been cut down to doodlebug length, but if it is something really rare, it probably shouldn't go to scrap.
Thanks again,
Charlie

[Brian T]

Hello Charlie,
The spare trans top is for a right hand drive truck used in the UK and other countrys, here is a pic from Vince Falters web site --- http://www.fordgarage.com/ --- the top maybe of value to someone at some time.
It is highly recommended to join FMAATC, also purchase the service bulletins book (larger version) and also a parts prices book, the vendors have these.

[Pasaa]

Thank you all very much. I suspected the right hand drive configuration, but couldn't find anything on it. If I can get a good picture of it, I will post that chassis. Just curious.
Thanks again,
Charlie

[pyrodork]

sorry to hijack the post... i completely disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled my tower a few months back. i put new ball bearings in for the shafts, new springs (from the hardware store; cut to size) and greased it up real good. i ended up making my own replacement reverse lockout rod.

anyway, i can't get the darn thing to shift. the gears in the gearbox move fine, and i can move the shafts and forks on the tower if i tap them with a hammer. if i mount the tower, i can't get a darn thing to move.

any help appreciated.

[spectria]

sorry to hijack the post... i completely disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled my tower a few months back. i put new ball bearings in for the shafts, new springs (from the hardware store; cut to size) and greased it up real good. i ended up making my own replacement reverse lockout rod.

anyway, i can't get the darn thing to shift. the gears in the gearbox move fine, and i can move the shafts and forks on the tower if i tap them with a hammer. if i mount the tower, i can't get a darn thing to move.

any help appreciated.

Are the makeshift springs for the detent balls in the Tower?
I would suggest too stiff a spring might make it impossible to move the rods...

[1crosscut]

I would think that your springs are suspect too. Probably be better off finding correct springs.
Dave

[pyrodork]

yeah, the indented bearings have new springs as well.

i didn't think of it until now, but the spring between the main part of the tower and the shifter cover... that was the major one that i couldn't find a good replacement for. i kept the old one, but i put a new one in; trimming it longer than the old one (to account for years of wear). maybe it's a stiffer spring, too? i know it was a pain to get the cover on at all, and was only possible by clamping a vise grip to the shift lever and pounding it with a hammer to compress the spring enough to get the pins in.


a side note, i'm pretty sure new pins are available. little dearborn is only a few miles from me, and they have a bit of stuff. unfortunately, they're a bit clueless about the AA.

[spectria]

yeah, the indented bearings have new springs as well.

i didn't think of it until now, but the spring between the main part of the tower and the shifter cover... that was the major one that i couldn't find a good replacement for. i kept the old one, but i put a new one in; trimming it longer than the old one (to account for years of wear). maybe it's a stiffer spring, too? i know it was a pain to get the cover on at all, and was only possible by clamping a vise grip to the shift lever and pounding it with a hammer to compress the spring enough to get the pins in.


a side note, I'm pretty sure new pins are available. little dearborn is only a few miles from me, and they have a bit of stuff. unfortunately, they're a bit clueless about the AA.

New or "custom Made"?

You really need to not modify the springs in the tower or the detents and interlock pins, this totally controls your shifting.
Also, if you had to pound the tower on, there is definitely something wrong in the assembly.

[pyrodork]

New or "custom Made"?

You really need to not modify the springs in the tower or the detents and interlock pins, this totally controls your shifting.
Also, if you had to pound the tower on, there is definitely something wrong in the assembly.

the smaller springs were replaced with new ones of the same size. the larger spring for the lever is one that i bought too long and cut it to size. i'll tear it apart and put the old spring in for the shift lever. i can't do it right away, but i'll try it out when i get to it. oh, and when i took it apart, there was some gunk (possibly a felt washer) between the lever and the cover. i asked on here before, but the consensus was that it 'was' just gunk built up over time and that i didn't need it. maybe someone can shed light on that?

oh, and the reverse lockout rod should pop back into the "down" position when it's not used, right? perhaps it's just that one lever spring, but the rod doesn't move too smoothly, either. i know i can disable it (not sure how exactly), but is there a way to keep the rod on the lever to keep the original look?

[Hayslip]

I think the model 315 standdrive milktruck had the brake handle to the left of the shift lever.

[Bladehorse]

The felt washer is to keep the rattles at bay, and to help retard the pumping of oil out of the top of the tower. The shift tower spring doesnt really do much, other than keep the shift lever from falling down into the case and gears. The detent pins, and springs, allong with the shift rails, are what keep the car in the gear selected. I have taken a die grinder, and deepened the shift rail detents when my boss wouldnt order replacement parts. This worked ok, tho not ideal. I will have to look into replacing the springs too. If it pops out of gear either under load, or compression braking, you might look at the condition of the bearings. (Take off the tower, drain the oil, and see if there is any up-down play on the countershaft. THis drops the countershaft down and out of allignment of the sliding gears. Which causes un even thrust, pulling the sliding gears sideways. If yout tranny is original most likely they are ok. The replacement parts Ive seen have all been gyp, and junk. After 2 years of service, a rebiuld had almost 1/8" of wear in the shaft. its almost like the shafts are barely hardened at all. Hope it helps some.

[wewodad]

The one I have looks like this.